A Girl to See
by Marina Lenore
Summary: Naruto has a question for Tsunade, about a girl... How will she react to this sudden change that has overtaken him? And who is this girl anyways?


Disclaimer: -looks up from chewing off the leather straps- I DONT OWN IT! I'm just a crazy fanatic trapped in this fantasy of her own mind.

(A/N: This is an odd little piece.. It is more of an implied N/H than anything else, and it is more somber than I expected it to turn out to be. But I still kinda like it. Many many thanks go out to my dear friend Kellen for helping me when I got stuck! You are so very appreciated, hun. Reviews are welcome, I'd really appreciate any feedback! (.",) Thanks a ton for checking this story out.)

- - -

The world had just ended. Something was **horribly** wrong. Tsunade stared blankly at the all too serious face of the Kyuubi vessel (ex-vessel, really) standing before her, as he waved his hands and called her again. Only there was no 'baa-chan' or 'nee-san' attached to it this time.

"Hokage-sama? Are you okay?"

Suddenly Tsunade snapped her head up, confused eyes boring into the blonde haired man in front of her. "Who are you and what have you done with Naruto?" It was almost more of a statement than a question. He would never have called her that. Never. The most formal he had ever spoken to her was calling her 'Tsunade-san' on occasion.

Naruto smiled half-heartedly and shook his head. "It's me, Tsunade nee-san. I just..." He sighed distractedly, raking his fingers through his spiky hair. "I need to know something, but I don't know if its as simple as just getting an answer. In fact, I'm pretty sure it isn't..."

Tsunade was very awake now, as she stared at this strange, serious Naruto. Granted - he had grown up a lot since she had first met him, and was much more mature... but he never had stopped the facade, he had always kept his pain hidden behind a mask of happiness and childishness. Sighing, she crossed her arms and looked at him steadily. "What is it?"

"How can you tell when... when you like someone? I don't just mean getting along with them, I mean **like** like. How can you tell when its gone from just a crush, to something more serious? How..." His voice dropped a few decibels as he tried to get the words out right without embarrassing himself. "How can you tell when you're in love...? Or when someone is in love with you..?"

He was standing there in front of her, his face tinted red, his eyes filled with confusion and uncertainty. And all she could do was tilt her head to the side and blink. Naruto had just come back from a mission - one that had obviously made him think about something, or someone, rather. He stood there patiently still, acknowledging the depth of the inquiry he had just made, and giving her time to think about it. And think about it she did.

"It depends. Some people act different ways - but if you even have to ask this question... the chances are very high that you are already feeling the first stirrings of a connection like that. Do you find yourself thinking about this person more often than usual? Do you have dreams about this person? Do you find yourself embarrassed around them?" She smiled softly, her mind drifting enough to connect with past feelings. "Do you find yourself wanting to protect and shelter someone, even at the cost of your own life? Would you do anything to make them happy? Wanting to spend the rest of your life with them...?"

Naruto looked at the floor, contemplating the answer as Tsunade just gazed at the 19 year old man, wondering silently who was causing him such lovely discomfort. Suddenly he looked up, his face tinged a soft pink and his eyes suspiciously watery. "Yes.. Yes to all of it.. But what do I do? It will never work out, no one would allow it even if she returns the feelings. I may have the grudging respect of the villagers but they still do not like me, they still barely tolerate me. How could I pull her into a life like that, even if she does return the feelings?"

Tsunade hummed softly and thought for a moment. "You cant make that decision though. That decision would be hers to make. If she is strong enough to make the decision then you have to trust her to do what makes her happy. Does she know of Kyuubi? Does she know that you are it now, that you are now a hanyou?"

He nodded slowly. "She... I told her before anyone else... I don't know how but she is always there when I need someone. She always cares..." A soft smile graced his face as he whispered the name of the eldest Hyuuga daughter almost inaudibly, his cheeks tinged a soft red.

_(flashback)_

Naruto was sitting on that swing again, swinging back and forth morosely as Jiraya's words echoed in his head. _"You have to tell them eventually, Naruto. You cant always run and hide on your birthday, without them noticing... Especially since you and he have merged. They have to know." _Jiraya was right. It was going to be his birthday tomorrow, the day that the whole village mourned the attack of the Kyuubi, and he was going to camp out for the weekend to avoid the ire and wrath of the villagers.

He sighed and lifted his head up, not bothering to hide the tears that were running freely down his cheeks. Why him? Why did it have to be him? how was he going to tell his friends - friends who's family had perished in the massacre that was caused by the Kyuubi.. The Kyubbi that he had now become.

Unbeknownst to him a pair of lavender eyes watched him intently, waiting for some sign of acknowledgment. The figure hiding in the bushes gasped when he let out a sob, saddened at the sight of her precious person crying so openly, and his enhanced hearing caught the soft sound. "Come out, who is there?"

A girl with ebony-blue hair, porcelain skin, and the eyes that held the secrets of the Byakkugan walked out slowly, looking at the ground as she walked over to the one person that she adored. "W-what is wrong, N-naruto-k..kun?"

Naruto looked up at the girl. "Hinata..." Suddenly he felt this odd urge to tell her everything, and her soft hand on his cheek convinced him. Her face was red, but she was still there. Slowly, but surely, he explained it all to her - how his father, the Fourth Hokage, placed the demon inside of him, successfully defeating it, but not destroying it. His training to learn to control the entity, and the journey it took. The trance and meditation, the pain of taking on the role of Kyuubi, the fear he had, the wonderment at his newfound hanyou strength... Everything.

And to his surprise, when it had all been said and done, the shy and quiet Hinata Hyuuga had simply wrapped her arms around his neck and cried alongside him. Whispering assurances that no matter what happened, she would always be here for him, and how proud she was of him for adapting to everything with the grace and strength to keep up this facade of happiness almost flawlessly. It was all he could do to keep from crying even harder.

_(end flashback)_

Tsunade smirked, realizing that he had been lost in thought for some time. She nodded back at him as he slowly entered the real world again, before leaning back in her chair. "I say go for it. The worst that can happen is she says no. If you don't, and she cares in a similar way, then you will just be hurting the both of you."

His eyes flickered, showing momentary pain and shock at those words, before he looked down, nodding slightly. Trunade grinned some, taking advantage of the whispered name she heard, and her knowledge of that person. "Naruto, I know she likes you, and you do to. You aren't that dense anymore, and I know you knew once she reacted to your telling her. But protecting her in the way you are could just hurt her more and you know this now. Go, and do not come back until you can come tell me of the outcome of our little talk."

Naruto smiled softly and nodded, walking out of the room confidently and with purpose. He had a girl to see.

- - -


End file.
